Children’s Optometry
We offer Optometric services to people of all ages. From young children to mature seniors our eye exams can detect, diagnose and treat a variety of vision issues.
It is important to bring your children for regular eye check-ups to ensure your child enjoys the best possible vision for life.
Why Seek Children’s Optometrist Services?
- Prevalence of child vision issues:: Vision issues among children in Canada are quite common. Research shows that 25% of school-aged children in Canada have undiagnosed vision problems1.
- Classroom learning is largely visual: Visual skills are important for children’s ability to learn and participate in the classroom. Seeing well also impacts their ability to be involved in sports and play activities and can significantly contribute to their well-being.
- Risks of untreated vision issues: Forgoing regular healthy eye checks can put your child at risk for future vision and ocular health issues, which in turn may lead/contribute to learning difficulties.
Examples of vision-related learning difficulties in children include learning slower than peers, frustration with reading/ learning, increased risk of drop-out, behavioral problems and low self-esteem.
When Should Your Child See an Optometrist?
The CAO (Canadian Association of Optometrists) suggests that children should have their comprehensive eye exams at different stages/ages corresponding to their visual milestones or to be in-line with a child’s susceptibility to childhood eye conditions due to family or medical history.
- Young Children/Toddlers: Children should go for their first eye exam when they start to develop hand-eye coordination and gain visual muscle control. The first eye exam involves looking for vision problems such as lazy eyes, turned eyes, double vision, cataracts, high refractive errors, etc.
- Preschool children: Annual eye exams for children should start prior to starting school. This corresponds with learning and development milestones largely dependent on vision. Eye exams at this age will check for proper visual development and signs/symptoms of vision issues.
- School-age children: Annual eye exams for this age group are recommended to monitor for vision changes or potential eye conditions as well as to correct any refractive errors.
When Should You Consider Eye Exams for Your Child?
Parents or caregivers should schedule an eye exam for their children if they notice any of these signs or symptoms:
- Crossed/turned eye
- Wandering eyes
- Watery eyes
- Redness
- Squinting
- Excessive blinking
- Excessive eye-rubbing
- Sitting close to a TV screen or blackboard at school
- Confusing/omitting words when reading
- Colour confusion
Our Optometry Services for Kids
At Dr. Elmalem and Associates, Optometrists, we offer four main Optometry services for children:
- Eye exams for children: Children should have eye exams annually to detect early signs of eye conditions or vision correction that may be required.
- Vision therapy: Vision therapy is characterized by custom activities/exercises that retrain learned aspects of vision, improving sight and strengthening the eye-brain connection.
- Specialty contact lenses: If we diagnose your child with vision concerns like astigmatism or keratoconus, it may be addressed using contact lenses. Contact lenses are also helpful for young athletes participating in sports.
- Myopia management: Treats nearsighted refractive errors among Canadian children in hopes of slowing down the myopic shift.
Consultation and Clinic Locations
Book a consultation to learn more about vision health for the entire family.
- Visit our clinic in Richmond Hill to see optometrists at the Hillcrest Mall – 9350 Yonge St., Richmond Hill, Ontario. L4C 5G2.
Call 905-780-0250. - Visit our clinic in Newmarket to see our optometrists located at the Upper Canada Mall – 17600 Yonge St., Newmarket, Ontario. L3Y 4Z1.
Call 905-830-1910.
Why Choose Our Professional Eye Doctors?
- We are highly skilled & experienced eye doctors with decades of combined experience working with children’s eye health care.
- Latest/Advanced technology: We utilize the latest optometric technology (including the latest in contact lenses) to ensure the most comprehensive ocular health exams and vision options.
- Excellent customer service and advanced patient portal: We have a great patient support team and online patient portal that makes our services easily accessible.
- Great reviews: We are highly rated children’s Optometrists in the York Region.
References